In lieu of the unexpected announcement of Daft Punk’s breakup after 28 years of producing, remixing, DJing and trailblazing, I dug into the vault to share my interview with the group published in the April 2001 issue of Mixer.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Daft Punk twice as well as having them grace the cover of Big Shot during our print days.
Looking back on the interview, it’s heartening to see how they maintained such high standards for their work over subsequent releases and projects. Read on to learn the success of their first album, why it took so long to record their second LP and how they became robots.Continue Reading →
In retrospect, it seems like it was only a matter of time. Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, better known to the wide world as Daft Punk, created such a strong, signature sci-fi look with their robotic costumes and cartoonish personae that it ultimately would have been remarkable if there weren’t a pair of action figures inspired by them. Sure enough, now you can indeed avail yourself of miniature versions of Thomas and Guy-Manuel, visor helmets and all.
Surely you know the sort of person whose day would be made by getting these as a gift, if you aren’t already that sort of person yourself. The big question is: what does this mean for the future? Should we expect to see more and more of this sort of thing popping up as time goes by? Can a deadmau5 doll be far behind, for instance? He’s already more or less an action figure to begin with, after all. And it’s not as if there’s no precedent for this sort of thing — anybody remember the Kraftwerk action figures from a few years back? Maybe Daft Punk will start taking a page from Kraftwerk’s book and stage performances with the Thomas and Guy-Manuel dolls standing in for the real thing. If that happens, remember where you heard it first.
By this point in time, it seems like Daft Punk has worked its way into just about every other area of life, so why not make a sally into the skateboard universe? Now Daft Punk lovers with a desire to bring the band’s imagery between their feet and the street will finally have that opportunity, thanks to Hervet-Manufacturier, a high-end French design company that has incorporated the duo’s legendary logo and the artwork for their single “Da Funk” into some serious skate hardware.
Nicolas and Cédric Hervet have crafted their Daft Punk skateboards from molded beechwood overlaid with a Formica laminate. The laser-engraved “grip effect” logo on the top and the two-color inlay on the bottom give their creation it’s one-of-a-kind look, and speaking of one-of-a-kind, as you might have guessed, this is a limited-edition series.
Only 25 boards per color will be available, each with its own laser-etched edition number proclaiming its exclusivity to the world at large. So if you want a Daft Punk skateboard to be a part of your immediate future, you’d better act fast. Fear not, you should be able to acquire all the info you’ll need at the website.
After telling the world last November about his upcoming artist album — his first in over 30 years — iconic 74-year-old disco-producer legend formally announced today that he will release Déjà vu on June 16, 2015.
The album features a host of collaborations with an array of pop artists including Britney Spears, Charli XCX, Kylie Minogue, Mikky Ekko, Foxes, Kelis, Marlene and Matthew Koma. The title track featuring Sia was released today.
Obligatory press gush from Moroder, who has produced a litany of award-winning albums for Donna Summer and David Bowie, appeared on Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories and not too long ago started a new career as a DJ: “So excited to release my first album in 30 years; it took quite some time. Who would have known adding the ‘click’ to the 24 track would spawn a musical revolution and inspire generations. As I sit back readily approaching my 75th birthday, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m incredibly happy that I got to work with so many great and talented artists on this new record. This is dance music, it’s disco, it’s electronic, it’s here for you. Once you listen… you’ll feel it… déjà vu.”
With tracks to his credit like his recent single “74 is the New 24,” age continues to be nuthin’ but a number for Giorgio Moroder.
Déjà vu track listing:
“4 U With Love”
“Déjà vu feat. Sia”
“Diamonds feat. Charli XCX”
“Don’t Let Go feat. Mikky Ekko”
“Right Here, Right Now feat. Kylie Minogue”
“Tempted feat. Matthew Koma”
“74 Is The New 24”
“Tom’s Diner feat. Britney Spears”
“Wildstar feat. Foxes”
“Back & Forth feat. Kelis”
“I Do This For You feat. Marlene”
“La Disco”
